In the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville, some have called for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) to redefine its mission, and defend free speech only up to a point, whereupon really, really awful people (I guess) would be denied the benefits of the Constitution. The problem, naturally, rests in the old conundrum: who decides? The Supreme Court ruled that the Westboro Baptist folks, a repugnant group if ever there was one, were protected.

Recently, a local politician caused a fuss with an ill-chosen analogy referencing good Germans following orders. Aside from its raw tastelessness, and a bizarre absence of proportionality (analogizing the war with...bus routes?), the system worked as built: say something stupid, face public ridicule, bring out your apologists, but nobody gets arrested.

Your letter writers entertain me, but often make me very unhappy: your false pope people, your reliable anti-Semite, the Twin-Towers-inside-job crowd. Let them speak. That is not danger.